Danilo Nóbrega connects the dots at Amadeus and he can help you get connected on Startup Weekend!

He has spent almost 11 years in the travel industry. He started to work as a computer engineer in 1997 but since then he has grown to be the head of presales at Amadeus Scandinavia.

What are your superpowers, Danilo?

I have a good general understanding of the travel industry and what is „out there”. I try to keep up with all technology related news too, so I have a very good understanding of the trends and what is going on in general, including startups and market dynamics. Besides I am quite good at thriving in chaos too and I love it when there are a lot of ideas and no order – I try to connect the dots in such environments.

I’m passionate about business development – to create new methods or use old ones to add value to a business. Now I’m working on chatbot technology that uses natural language processing – how we can gain scale and use it in customer service. We also have done a Mixed Reality proof of concept with HoloLens which has been fun to do as well.

What drives you crazy?

In my field there is nothing that pisses me off, all questions are good questions. When people have a negative attitude and think that something is not possible or they are referring to the establishment – that can piss me off.

Which areas do you think are the most promising in traveltech?

There are a lot of opportunities in AI, more specifically in machine learning. A lot of startups have already came up with ideas and the market is reacting positively to them.

Traveltech is very dynamic now and the most interesting field is related to big data. We need to crunch a lot of data to provide offers that did not exist before. Before this revolution we had to go to specific airlines where we had all the specific products, but now people are combining things in order to find more interesting and compelling offers to the customers. AI can also be added to all these services.

Adding a finance layer to travel is another option: it leads to a new set of products to guarantee a fare on a given flight for example or to predict how much it is going to cost, etc. It is also important how blockchain technology can be applied in travel as well as loyalty programs, bags tracking and virtual and augmented reality are very exciting areas too. We see where it is going and even though it is in a very early stage and has not struck a mass market, it has a more and more important role in the close future for sure. A company in Japan already offers virtual tours in stores so you can handle your shopping from your home. In travel, you can reach information in 3D on touristic attractions before you even go there. The devices are getting cheaper and cheaper as well.

Which one is your favourite place on Earth?

My hideaway would be a cabin in the middle of nowhere. It would be my dream house. I don’t have it due to some private reasons. It would be like the house in the film Ex Machina, but maybe a bit smaller.

Do you have a favourite vehicle or future vehicle?

Having a fully functional self-driving that can take you to hyperloop systems would be great.

Why are you excited about Startup Weekend?

I am very excited to meet a lot of new people and to see what people are thinking and what ideas they can come up with.

Travel is huge and it continues to grow. Even when there is a crisis, people continue to travel and big companies can’t even handle the huge demand. It is becoming easier and easier to be able to contribute because complexity is being simplified and is opening up: we see a lot of APIs and it is a very exciting time to try out travel.